A Sanders for President campaign has a kind of quixotic Ralph Naderish feel to it, someone running more to deliver a message than to try to win. He serves as a counterpoint to the anointed and the super-wealthy, to the machine-approved favorites and the heirs to a throne. His fans will say he’s the only candidate willing to run on the issues that most matter — the only one who really cares — and yet many will ignore him entirely.

The willingness to so quickly negate Sanders is a shame, however, because Bernie Sanders does get it, a whole lot more, in fact, than most of those far more likely to become our presidential nominees.

Sanders continues to bemoan the expanding wealth gap in the U.S., the increasing percentage of the nation’s income controlled by precious few of the richest Americans while poverty levels continue to rise. He also complains about a broken election system in which those same richest Americans can dominate the political process and magnify their own personal gains by pouring unlimited amounts of money into selected races, courtesy of what he calls the “disastrous” Citizens United ruling that took the lid off campaign donations.

He’s absolutely, fundamentally right on both fronts. Those themes will be front and center in his campaign. But we’re not supposed to take him seriously why, exactly? Because he won’t have enough money to be a “legitimate” candidate?

Sen. Sanders is as hard left as they come: an avowed socialist. He would like to see banks broken up and the federal government take over the oil and gas industries. He doesn’t think Obamacare goes far enough, and he supports instituting a single-payer health care system instead. He backs roughly doubling the size of federal infrastructure investment to a whopping $1 trillion over a five-year period. He would like to see Social Security benefits expanded, and he thinks taxes should be raised in order to make it happen. He also has called for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and would welcome a top tax rate of (yes) 90 percent.

Sen. Sanders has zero shot at being elected president. Most of his ideas sound like the ramblings of a crazy person. But you know what? At least he’s honest about his vision. Sen. Sanders proposes what he believes in, and doesn’t shy away from defending his views, no matter how ridiculous. Voters know exactly what they’re going to get from him. The same can’t be said about his opponents for the Democratic nomination.

...If only every presidential candidate were as honest as Bernie Sanders. And if only Bernie Sanders weren’t crazy.